Weekend Blast - YouTube Culture

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Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Fri, 12/02/2016 - 09:16

My Two-Bits: YouTube Culture

As I close in on 40, I have discovered that I am starting to become a cranky old man. When it comes to social media, I don’t wander too far out past Facebook or Twitter. I don’t know the difference between Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, or Periscope. And for the most part, I am fine with that.

But in a world of things I don’t quite understand, the winner has to be YouTube Culture. A little while back, I saw a list of the ten most popular celebrities among teens,and about half of the top 20 were YouTube Usernames like Smosh, The Fine Bros and PewDiePie. I understand that the world has moved on, but I truly am confused by this relatively new trend in internet celebrity.

I try to watch these videos, and it’s like I wandered into some kind of foreign land. Videos of people’s reactions to movies and shows. Videos of people unboxing things. Watching other people play video games.

My kids are also part of this madness. I often come home to find them watching videos of people playing with PlayDoh or watching videos of people playing video games, as opposed to playing with PlayDoh or playing those same games themselves. It is utterly insane to me.

At times, it feels to me like we’re gotten rid of real socialization. We have outsourced it to a few strangers on the internet.

I do often watch my wife or kid’s reactions of surprising moments in movies or TV, but I don’t care about a total stranger’s reaction.

If I am watching someone play video games, I want to be able to yell advice at them or demand “my turn!”

The worst part of any birthday party is watching people open gifts. Unboxing has made an entire industry of this chore! WHAT AM I MISSING HERE?

To me, this all seems so manufactured. How many parents are pushing their kids into filming themselves playing with toys or sampling candy hoping they will be the next big thing? Even worse is “Here is my precocious kid singing a pop song that is way inappropriate for them to hear, much less perform.” My kids record themselves doing all kinds of dumb stuff, and I’ve never once felt it needed to be shared with the world. I get antsy about posting pictures of my kids on Facebook, but you have people actively seeking out this “fame” for their kids.

I just can’t get my head around any of this. I am not judging those who watch it; it’s just not for me. What am I missing here, reader?